Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Another class down. Technically the class doesn't end until Friday, but I turned in my final paper on Sunday and had a final grade by that evening. So that was cool. My next class starts June 9 and doesn't look like it'll be much more time consuming. There are three books for the class and one has come in already: The New Media Monopoly. I read the preface and it's very left-of-center. Doesn't seem like I'll be enjoying this class very much.

Friday, May 23, 2008

... It's been a boring week. I was sick Tuesday and Wednesday. Other than that I've been trying to finish all of my school work. I am pretty much done with everything for this class (a compressed class that is running from May 12-30 -- it's been hectic). I still have a paper to write, but it's only 5 pages.

Looking forward to the long weekend.

On the subject of my class, it's called "Current Issues in Mass Media." The class consists of reading a bunch of journal articles about the media and then discussing them. Many of the articles revolve around how the "new media" (blogs, internet magazines, etc.) are affecting traditional media. Having been raised in the print world, I have a strong sense of nostalgia for the newspaper world. It's true what they say, once you get the printer's ink in your blood, it's there forever.

It's not news to say that the face of the media is changing. Certainly, some would say that newspapers are breathing their last breaths. It really makes me sad to think this and to realize that most of these reports are right. But not for the reasons they think they're right. The internet isn't killing newspapers. Newspapers are killing newspapers.

With every new communications technology, the one that preceded it had to change to accommodate the shift in the market. For newspapers, radio meant that people were getting news faster through this new source. Newspapers had to change their approach to stories, make them more investigative, and capitalize on radio's weaknesses -- non-visual, only effective in communicating quick bits of information. Then television came on the scene and offered the same quick reportage and video. Newspapers again focused hard on their investigative angle and now had to focus a lot harder on catchy graphics and pictures. Now the Internet's here and it's one-upping all of these forms of media. Plus, it offers interactivity that none of these forms of media could ever hope to.

But it's not the introduction of the Internet that's killing off the old media, particularly newspapers. There are two distinct factors that are contributing to the newspaper's demise: journalist arrogance and the newspaper's failure to embrace substantive change in the face of the Internet revolution.

First I'll briefly discuss journalist arrogance. What's ironic about this is that this arrogance was applauded in the '50s and '60s. This modern-day arrogance is the result of the investigative journalist crowd such as Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein. These guys were pioneers in their fields. Like 'em or hate 'em, they were good at what they did and provided the changes (or foundation, in the cases of Murrow and Cronkite) needed to keep their mediums relevant. This inherent skepticism by journalists -- a shift from trusting what authority told us to questioning everything they told us -- has evolved into the public's very vocal skepticism of the media. They told us to question what we were being told. So we did. And we do.

There is a shift away from this way of thinking and reporting in the media. You can see it. Journalists are burying their long-held shields of objectivity and embracing partisanship. While it's a welcome change from their barely-disguised "objectivity" of recent years, it's not a change that's going to keep papers alive.

The change that has to happen to keep papers alive is decentralization. Monopolies are killing newspapers. Too much canned news -- the same AP stories ran in every paper -- too many national ads and too little focus on the local community. The only way for newspapers to become relevant again is to focus on their communities. Newspapers can tough communities in ways that the Internet will never be able to. Coverage of events that impact them, serving as a voice for the community and leading public debate about local issues are all ways that successful community papers stay successful. Look at the St. Petersburg Times or the Day in New London. They are both non-profits, but there are a lot of lessons corporate papers can learn from these publications.

Papers have the power to overcome skepticism and become relevant again. They could get their papers out and people could once again realize what a resource the local "fish wrap" is, but they won't. They will continue to ride their business model into the ground.

I still think there's a couple of decades left for newsprint. Heck, I might not even live to see its demise, but my children certainly will.

Monday, May 19, 2008

I love that we live so close to such natural beauty. Yesterday we decided to pick up some subs at a local chain and head out to Shelby Forest to eat and take a little walk. There are a lot of traditional trails and some paved roads that are bike trails.

As we walked, we saw a baby snake, a few spiders and a couple of bugs. Whenever someone would spot a but, all the kids would gather around bend way over and watch the bug run around. They were so engrossed with what it was doing and what it looked like. Then my two-year-old would stand up and start stomping on it.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Last night we broke ground on what we hope will be the first section of a decent fruit and vegetable garden. The wife and kids have been planning this for some time. They have already planted several different things in small flats and they have grown enough to be transfered to the ground.

So, last night we went to Lowes to get some dirt and some other gardening stuff. We were going to set off the garden with 4x4 posts, but wound up getting some concrete blocks that we set on their sides which allows us to have an elevated garden.

It's a meager 3'x8', but digging up all that grass last night wasn't the most fun I've had. It went by pretty quickly with my love and I working on it though.

Now, hopefully everything will continue to grow.

PS: On poison ivy, I have not chopped or pulled any yet. I decided to try and spray it all down with weed killer first. I had some Ortho weed & grass killer that has worked pretty well, but I didn't have enough for all the poison ivy growing in my yard. I was going to buy some Roundup, but a family friend who has a forestry degree and works in environmental remediation said that a vinegar, dishsoap and water mixture works just as well. I mixed some up and lo and behold, it sure is working pretty well. If you have a sprayer, you might want to save some money and try this for yourself. For a quart, mix 1 cup vinegar 1/2 cup dishsoap and the rest water.

Friday, May 09, 2008

1.ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? You know that bit about not running with scissors? Well, don't run with pencils either. A small scar on my right cheek attests to that fact.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? Nothing yet. We have several pictures to put up and I'm going to hang a guitar on the wall.

3. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? In the morning. I can't remember the exact time.

4. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? Recuperative sleep.

5. WHAT DO YOU MISS? Youthful idealism and the energy that comes with it.

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION? Possession ... hmm ... I really like my guitar but I wouldn't say "most prized" ... hmm ... You know, if my house was on fire and all of my family were safe, I would probably rescue my computer. There is so much of my life here -- pictures, writings, stuff. Otherwise everything else are really just things.

7. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5' 10 1/2"

8. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DAY? No

9. WHAT’S YOUR WORST FEAR? Losing all ability to take care of myself.

10. WHAT KIND OF HAIR COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? Blonde

11. WHAT ABOUT EYE COLOR? Usually blue.

12. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? Coffee. What's this "energy drink" of which you speak?

13. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? Pepperoni.

14. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Nothing. We ate at Rum Boogie earlier.

15. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME? Olive drab.

16. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH? No.

17. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED? That's a toughie. My wife has been great at giving meaningful gifts. I had some growing up. But once, I think I was 10 or so, I was staying with a friend, and his mom came back from the story and had bought us both comic books. It just struck me as cool because it was something she didn't have to do, there was no real reason for it, she just did it.

21. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? Forever or just for a while? Honestly, if it was forever, probably not.

22. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA? Yes.

23. YOUR WEAKNESSES? Ice cream

24. MET ANYONE FAMOUS? Yes.

25. FIRST JOB? Paper route when I was 10.

26. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL? Yep.

27. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOUL MATE? No. I know how much hard work marriage is to believe in a "soul mate." I think you're if you're very lucky, you find someone who loves you as much as you love them.

28. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT? Reading the responses by Maggie May, Ricki and Sheila.

29. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? Yes.

30. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? My ability to quickly find solutions for problems.

31. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? It's too far away to think about right now.

32. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? I've got three, that's good.

33. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? A great uncle.

34. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TURN OFF WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? Breaking into conversations to add an uninvited opinion on a topic that the person doesn't really know anything about but delivers the opinion with the conviction of an expert.

35. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU MISS ABOUT GRADE SCHOOL? Sheila said recess and I agree. Recess is a great idea. But only if we get to play tag.

36. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE? Whatever. Suave for men right now.

37. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No. It's horrible. I print because my cursive is unreadable.

38. ANY BAD HABITS? Yes

39. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON? Sometimes

40. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Maybe. I'm a loyal friend, but I don't like to leave the house much. So, if I could hang out and watch movies and stuff at home, yes.

41. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS? No.

42. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER? Not in a very healthy way. I need to get back into the gym.

43. WHAT’S YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE? Setting my children up to be successful in life.

"It's been a while in the making and it's going to be a while that we solve the problem," Bush said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." "We're too dependent on foreign oil and we need to be exploring more at home."

Really? I mean, define quick. How long does it take to build new refineries? How long does it take to set up drilling platforms? He does address some key elements, like building new refineries, but diversifying away from oil is not currently in our best interests.

"We'll analyze some of these suggestions, but the key is that we think long-term for America, that we diversify away from oil and we're wise and build new refineries and increase supply for the American consumers," Bush said in the interview on the White House grounds with his wife, Laura.

So, I'm willing to wait the five-to-ten years it would take to build these factories and tap into unused/under-used resources. Brazil just discovered oil fields ... we better have some folks from the state department down there performing acts of oral gratification or something. Look: Build more refineries; drill in ANWR; use our newer drilling technologies to drill in shale; build more nuclear plants; move all those government subsidies away from ethonol and into these projects.

Heck, we could even do a "new deal" kind of a thing and put people to work building all these new projects. I bet in five years we could reduce gas prices (against inflation), 10 years would reduce our dependence on foreign oil and in 20 we'd be back to the 80s.

Monday, May 05, 2008

One semester in, two classes down, and I've already blown my 4.0. One class, no problem. Second class, I had As up until the final exam. Man, I boloed that thing. I finished up that class with an 89.25. I missed the rounding up by a quarter of a point.

Damn.

UPDATE: I don't know why, but she rounded up to an A-. So I should be able to salvage my 4.0 anyway. So, disregard. :)